What Are the Emerging Trends in Executive and Professional Education in 2026?

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:26:00 +0200
Aalto Leaders' Insight, Digitalization, Leadership, Marketing and Sales, Design Thinking, Aalto EE Finland

This year Aalto EE experts see three trends rising globally: strategic learning partnerships, a renewed focus on uniquely human skills in the age of AI, and blended learning that delivers real impact.

Executive and professional education is undergoing rapid transformation and the expectations of our customers are shifting just as quickly. I was curious to see which trends we at Aalto EE see emerging in 2026 on a global scale. Here is what some of our experts had to say:

1. Learning service purchasing is moving toward strategic partnerships

Laura Sivula, Director of Academic and International Affairs: “Globally, the buying of learning services is moving away from one-off program procurement and toward long-term, strategic partnerships. AI and automation streamline transactional purchases, but when the goal is transformation—growth, renewal, improved performance—organizations increasingly value partners who understand their context and cocreate solutions tailored to it.

This raises the bar for us service providers: we don’t simply deliver content. We must help in articulating the business challenge, design the right solutions, and measure impact. When behavior change links clearly to business results, learning becomes a strategic investment, not a cost item.”

2. In the age of AI, training needs to focus on unique human capabilities

Tupuna Tapanainen, Program Director: “As AI takes over routine analysis and basic knowledge tasks, the purpose of executive education becomes clearer: strengthening the unique human skills that technology cannot replace. Interpretation, contextual awareness, judgment, critical evaluation, and the ability to question insights are now core capabilities for leaders and experts.

Because AI can produce summaries and surface-level insights instantly, learning must focus less on information delivery and more on making sense of that information. Impactful programs create space for reflection, dialogue, experimentation, and research-based understanding. And as AI becomes embedded into daily work, responsible and critical use of these tools becomes a foundational skill for every professional.”

3. Blended learning is maturing and delivering tangible impact

Jonni Junkkari, Senior Solutions Director: “The divide between in-person and online learning continues to fade. Blended formats are not a compromise, they are becoming a truly effective way to drive learning at scale.

Live touchpoints build trust, psychological safety, and meaningful connections. Sharing milestones, starting and closing a program together, and engaging in face-to-face support, deeper commitment, and engagement. Meanwhile, on-demand online learning offers the flexibility modern professionals need: the ability to learn anytime, revisit materials, and balance development with demanding roles and time constraints.

With better technologies and more sophisticated learning design, these modes now reinforce each other seamlessly. The focus is no longer on the format, but on delivering the best possible learning experience—one that drives real impact for the organization and growth for the individual.”

To recap, we see changes across three fronts: customer relationships, the topics and themes themselves, and modes of delivery and pedagogy. And I can't resist adding one more item: the persistent importance of "general management evergreens". By this I mean topics such as strategy, financial decision-making and leadership fundamentals. They have always been the backbone of executive education. I don't see their value diminishing as the key drivers of sustainable business success. However, the context for all of these topics has changed dramatically. The trends highlighted here are ways of continuously improving the impact learning can have.

Ulla-Maija Uusitalo serves as Director, Business Development at Aalto EE. Her focus is on developing holistic scalable learning solutions that utilize blended learning to drive maximum impact.